SO Rd 1 - What They Said

James Ryan Lam (Phi) – First Round 66 (-5)I chipped in on 18 from 40 feet. This is the best round I’ve ever played on this golf course. I used to play it a lot when I was an amateur.I stuck to my game plan. My main focus was to get through the first few holes. When I got around three-under after nine holes I was more relaxed. I’ve been struggling a lot with my driver and I was talking to my friends who said that it doesn’t matter how you get the ball into the hole. As long as you can keep in play then it is good enough.I used my three-wood on most of the holes and only pulled out driver on the holes that are really wide.I wasn’t really disappointed when I missed the grade at Qualifying School Final Stage. It was disappointing but I had to look at the positive side of things. I’ve been looking at so many negative things throughout the years. I’ve been working with my mental coach (Sai of Thailand) and she has been telling me to stay positive.I’m very happy with this five-under. At the start of the round, I didn’t even think I will shoot five-under. I was expecting to shoot a couple of over par. I was trying to be realistic.Sam Brazel (Aus) – First Round 66 (-5)This is my first time here and I enjoy the layout. The wind is a bit tricky but I holed some nice putts which makes it a little bit easier! The wind was calm on the first few holes but kicked in on the fourth hole which is quite a difficult hole.The fourth hole requires a demanding tee shot because it is a very narrow hole. I made a nice par on 15. I hit my second shot just short of the green and didn’t hit my chip as good as I wanted it and made my eight feet par.Last year was obviously a new experience for me. I had to play on new golf courses and made some cuts. I played a lot of golf, which was good. I want to play consistently again and try to finish inside the top-60 on the Order of Merit which will be a big bonus if I do.Miguel Tabuena (Phi) – First Round 67 (-4)This is my best round on this golf course. I prepared very well for this tournament. I played here almost every day for the past three weeks. I’m glad my hard work is paying off. I had two chip-ins on holes 16 (30-feet) and eight.I took advantage of my early tee time because there were not too much wind in the morning. The wind started to catch up when I made the turn. Once I made par on the fourth hole, which is the hardest hole for me, I gained the confidence to move on and play better.The fourth hole is very tight. The hazard is on the right and left is out of bounds. You are also playing against the wind so it is a very difficult driving hole.My game plan was to shoot one-under on the back and one-under on the front. So I’m obviously glad that my plan didn’t work! (laughs).Rikard Karlberg (Swe) – First Round 67 (-4)I played pretty solid and I putted well. I didn’t sink much outside of 10 feet but secured most putts from within that. Unfortunately I three putted on hole eight. Other than that, my game is still solid.This course is pretty long and you need to hit a lot of long irons into the green. It is pretty comfortable from off the tees because you have some room to miss as the rough is not so thick.I played good at the King’s Cup Golf Hua Hin (Thailand) and it was windy there. I was in Abu Dhabi after that and the wind was quite strong as well so I guess I had good practice before coming here!I found some confidence after finishing second at the King’s Cup Golf Hua Hin. I’m holding on to those memories and it seems to be working. I holed a 25 footer birdie on 17 and that kind of kept me going.Lin Wen-tang (Tpe) – First Round 70 (-1)It was quite a good day. I only got into trouble once on the 18th hole when my second shot went into the water. Overall my game and body feel good. The greens here are fast and tricky. It is scary!Hopefully I can keep the momentum going. I played early in the morning so it wasn’t so windy. The second round will be a big challenge for me.

The Asian Tour logo is a trademark of Asian Tour Limited. Copyright in the logo and other content on this website is owned by Asian Tour Limited or used under license from third parties. All rights reserved.